Bubble caps fractionation

Several descriptions have been pubUshed of the continuous tar stills used in the CIS (9—11). These appear to be of the single-pass, atmospheric-pressure type, but are noteworthy in three respects the stills do not employ heat exchange and they incorporate a column having a bubble-cap fractionating section and a baffled enrichment section instead of the simple baffled-pitch flash chamber used in other designs. Both this column and the fractionation column, from which light oil and water overhead distillates, carboHc and naphthalene oil side streams, and a wash oil-base product are taken, are equipped with reboilers. 

Strang, L. C. Trans. Inst. Chem. Eng. 12 (1934) 169. Entrainment in a bubble-cap fractionating column. 

A schematic diagram of the type of redistillation unit described is shown in Figure 3. The most advanced redistillation units were being supplied with continuous pipe stills for initial heating and partial vaporization, followed by bubble cap fractionating columns to produce the final light and heavy fractions. 

It is apparent that around 1925 distillation equipment in the petroleum industry varied in design and complexity from the simple horizontal shell stills with fractional vapor condensation to the continuous pipe stills with the progenitor of the present bubble cap fractionating columns. The basic processing principles were being rapidly extended, and the foundation was well established for the further development of distillation technology. 

Distillation Distillation is a two-stage process and is typically carried out in a series of bubble cap fractionating columns. The first stage consists of the analyser column and is followed by rectification columns. The cell-free fermentation broth (wash) is preheated to... 

Research. Much of the research on commercial-size distiUation equipment is being done by Fractionation Research, Inc. (FRI), a nonprofit, industry-sponsored, research corporation. The industrial sponsors are fabricators, designers, and constmctors, or users of distiUation equipment. PubHcations include Hquid mixing on sieve plates (91), bubble cap plate efficiency (92), and sieve plate efficiency (93,94). A motion picture of downcomer performance is also avaUable (95). References 96 and 97 cover the Hterature from 1967 to 1990. 

It should be noted that the fraction of column cross-sectional area available for gas dispersers (perforations, bubble caps) decreases when more than one downcomer is used. Thus, optimum design of the plate involves a balance between hquid-flow accommodation and effective use of cross section for gas flow. 

The peripheral stiffening zone (tray ring) is generally 25 to 50 mm (1 to 2 in) wide and occupies 2 to 5 percent of the cross section, the fraction decreasing with increase in plate diameter. Peripheiy waste (Fig. 14-28) occurs primarily with bubble-cap trays and results from the inabihty to fit the cap layout to the circular form of the plate. Valves and perforations can be located close to the wall and little dead area results. Typical values of the fraction of the total cross-sectional area available for vapor dispersion and contact with the liquid for cross-flow plates with a chord weir equal to 75 percent of the column diameter are given in Table 14-6. 

Available in metal only, compared more with tray type performance than other packing materials. About same HETP as Spraypak for available data. Used In towers 24 inches and larger. Shows some performance advantage over bubble cap trays up to 75 psia in fractionation service, but reduced advantages above this pressure or in vacuum service. 

Souders-Brown. The Souders-Brown method (References 1, 2) is based on bubble caps, but is handy for modem trays since the effect of surface tension can be evaluated and factors are included to compare various fractionator and absorber services. These same factors may be found to apply for comparing the services when using valve or sieve trays. A copy of the Souders-Brown C factor chart is shown in Reference 2. 

The Norton standard bubble cap is the Fractionation Research Inc. (FRI) plain cap. It is available in 3-in. and 4-in. OD and custom sizes as well. 

Extractive Distillation. In extractive distillation a fraction comprising compounds of similar volatility is vaporized and passed countercurrent to a liquid solvent stream in a packed or bubble cap tower. The operating conditions of temperature and pressure are regulated so that one or more of the components of the mixture are dissolved in the entrainer and removed in a liquid phase extract, while the remaining vapor is taken overhead and condensed or discharged as gaseous effluent. 

Bubble-cap trays may be operated over a far wider range of vapor flows, without loss of tray efficiency. It is the author s experience that bubble-cap trays fractionate better in commercial service than do perforated (valve, or sieve) trays. Why, then, are bubble-cap trays rarely used in a modern distillation ... 

Perforated trays are also used in fractionating towers. This tray is similar to the bubble-cap tray but has smaller holes ( lU inch, 6 mm, versus 2 inches, 50 mm). The liquid spills back to the tray below through weirs and is actually prevented from returning to the tray below through the holes by the velocity of... 

Entrainment flooding is predicted by an updated version of the Souders and Brown correlation. The most popular is Fair s (1961) correlation (Fig. 20), which is suitable for sieve, valve, and bubble-cap trays. Fair s correlation gives the maximum gas velocity as a function of the flow parameter (L/G)V(Pg/Pl), tray spacing, physical properties, and fractional hole area. 

Perforated plates, which are fitted with bubble caps, are placed at various levels in the tower. As each fraction reaches a plate where the temperature is just below its boiling point, it condenses and liquefies. The liquid fractions are taken from the tower by pipes. Other fractions that are still vapours continue to pass up through the plates to higher levels. 

For standard types of finite-stage contactor columns operated in the range of allowable velocities where the overall column efficiencies are essentially constant, O Connell has correlated efficiency data on the basis of liquid viscosity and relative volatility (or gas solubility). The results for fractionators and absorbers are presented in Fig. 16-9. This correlation is based, primarily, on experimental data obtained with bubble-cap columns having a liquid path of less than 5 ft and operated at a reflux ratio near the minimum value. Figure 16-9 is adequate for design estimates with most types of commercial equipment and... 

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